Is excessive barking a problem with your new pup? It’s up to you to teach him when and where it’s appropriate to bark. Here are some simple ways to stop puppy barking now.

Ignore Attention-Seeking Barking

Your new friend will whine and cry quite a bit for the first few days. This is perfectly normal behavior for a young dog who is away from his mother and littermates for the first time. Finding himself alone in a strange place is upsetting for him.

But no matter how pitiful he is, don’t give him attention when he’s whining or barking, or you may be setting up a life-long habit of nuisance barking. Wait until he stops barking before petting or cuddling him. But how to stop a barking puppy?

One way is to make a noisemaker from an empty pop can and a few pennies. Put the pennies in the can, and tape it shut. When your pup barks or whines, especially at night, shake the can at him. The sudden noise will startle him into silence. Shake the can every time he barks or makes noise.

This method is quite effective because he’s not getting any attention from you, whether it’s good or bad. All that happens when he barks or whines is that a loud noise happens that he doesn’t like. He’ll learn quickly that nuisance barking doesn’t get him attention from you.

A very humane method for quieting a barking canine is to say “enough,” and gently put your hand around his muzzle. This works because he can’t bark with his mouth shut. He’ll try to back away, or shake your hand off, so be prepared. Hold him by his collar so he can’t get away. Hold his muzzle gently until he stops fighting you and is quiet. This shows that he’s accepted your authority.

This technique teaches your puppy that you’re in charge, and that you will enforce your position as leader. This is an important lesson for him to learn, and will help to prevent many dog behavior problems from arising in the future.

More Tips To Avoid Barking Problems

It’s helpful to teach your pup to bark on command. This may seem counterproductive, but the second part of this idea is to teach him to stop barking on command. Now you’ve taken control of the situation by letting him know when it’s appropriate to bark. Once again, he has to defer to your leadership.

Excessive barking is often due to the canine just having too much energy. Take him for long walks to burn off this extra energy, and to tire him out so he’ll sleep when you’re gone. Another plus to lots of walks is that he’s introduced to new people and new situations, so he’ll be less likely to bark at unfamiliar things.

A good puppy obedience school can be very helpful, as he’ll learn to listen to you even when there are distractions around. You should also consider a good dog training course, too.

Now it’s time to start putting these ideas into action. Stop puppy barking now, and your new friend will be a much happier and pleasant companion.

Darlene Norris has worked at a vet clinic and an animal shelter, and has had lots of experience with dogs. If you need to stop puppy barking, and solve other dog behavior problems, visit No More Bad Dogs at http://NoMoreBadDogs.com to learn about a dog training course that will work wonders!

Tell me, does this describe you? Excessive barking from your new puppy is driving you nuts. These barking problems were the last thing you expected from that ball of fluff. How can you stop puppy barking before you lose your mind?

Most Puppy Barking Is To Get Attention

Your puppy is scared of being alone. This is perfectly natural when you consider that he’s always been around his mom and his littermates. When a puppy first leaves his family, it’s a scary experience for him.

The problem is that it’s very easy to give your puppy attention every time he barks and whines because you know he’s lonely and scared. Giving your puppy attention is not the problem, but when you give it to him is the key.

Don’t give him attention when he’s whining or barking. Wait for him to quiet down, even if it’s just for a couple of seconds. That’s when you pet him and praise him. This can be difficult, as nuisance barking from a puppy is often very high-pitched.

You may want to put a few pennies in an empty pop can and tape it closed. Rattle this noisemaker when your pup is barking, and the noise will hopefully startle him into silence. Distract him quickly with a toy or a walk or some other attention. It’s important that he stops barking completely before you distract him, or he’ll think you’re rewarding him for barking.

How To Prevent Barking Problems In Puppies

You may think your barking puppy is cute now, but he won’t be so cute in a few months. It’s much easier to teach him good habits from the start, rather than trying to end bad ones later. Start basic dog obedience training early so that he’s used to listening to you. Puppy classes are a great idea. He’ll learn to obey you even when there are many distractions around.

Ignore your puppy as much as possible if he barks or whines for attention. Use a noisemaker to startle him into silence as described above before giving him attention.

Teach him to bark on command. Then teach him to stop on command. It’s up to you as the owner to teach him when it’s the right time to bark. You need to be the pack leader so that he looks to you for guidance.

Don’t encourage him to bark at people. A good watchdog doesn’t bark at anyone walking by the house.

Avoid making a big fuss when you leave and come home to keep him from developing separation anxiety in dogs. Your comings and goings should be low-key.

Take him with you as much as you can so that he’s exposed to many new people and situations. At home, run the vacuum cleaner or the hair dryer to get him used to new sounds. Take it slowly so that he’s not scared or anxious. If he barks or whines, wait until he stops and calms down before you praise him.

Stop A Barking Puppy Now

Your goal? Start using these suggestions now to nip excessive barking in the bud, and to avoid barking problems in the future. If nuisance barking is already a problem with your pup, you need to look for a good dog training course as soon as you can.

Darlene Norris has worked at a vet clinic and an animal shelter, and has had lots of experience with dogs. If you need to stop puppy barking, and solve other dog behavior problems, visit No More Bad Dogs at http://NoMoreBadDogs.com to learn about a dog training course that will work wonders!

Are you struggling with a puppy that is a bit on the boisterous side and nips at your hands, arms, legs and anything that moves? I’ve been there! We’ve raised 3 puppies and even though they all have had different temperaments, they’ve each struggled with some form of puppy biting.

The first step to stop puppy biting is to not encourage it in the first place. Your puppy needs to learn that he should never, ever put his mouth on a human. If you stick your hand in our adult labs mouth, he tries his hardest not to bite down on you. This is called bite inhibition. We got our Shih tzu puppy at a bit older of an age, and he has really struggled with learning this, but we have been consistent and he’s finally learning to stop the puppy biting.

Don’t allow your puppy to suck on your hand or fingers. This goes against teaching your puppy that his mouth should never be on a human. When your puppy does this, say “ah” in a firm barky type voice and then replace your hand or fingers with an appropriate chew toy. This will help to teach your puppy what appropriate items are to chew on.

Don’t play rough with your puppy. This also encourages biting behavior and your puppy is just doing what comes natural to him and thinks he’s just having some fun. You can only blame yourself if he develops this habit.

It is very important to start correcting this behavior as soon as you bring your puppy home. While it is not impossible to change this behavior when a puppy is older, it is a whole lot more work and very difficult to reverse. A puppy should learn that biting is inappropriate at a very early age. Once a puppy gets past his teething stage this does become a lot easier although teething is no excuse to let your puppy bite on you.
To help with the teething stage, you can put wet washcloths in the freezer and once frozen give to your puppy to gnaw on. This will be soothing and may help eliminate some of the inappropriate biting.

It’s also very important to provide your puppy with an appropriate chewing outlet. Although soft squishy toys are fun, dogs have a built in drive to chew on things that hard. This is a soothing behavior for your dog and one that should be encouraged with the right toys. Nylabones are a favorite of mine. Not only are the hard bones soothing to a puppy, they also help with teething and when the puppy is older in keeping his adult teeth clean.

But remember, the most effective way to stop puppy biting is to be highly consistent in your training. Don’t even let it slide once when your puppy starts mouthing or chewing on you. You will be rewarded for your consistency with a loving and well trained puppy.